“Yes, milord,” the attendant said respectfully, then she departed from the Hot Springs Garden.
“Boss, is that Debs clan arranging the engagement ceremony for Alice?” Bebe leapt onto Linley’s shoulders, then stretched his little head out to peer at the card.
“Uh, Rowling? Who is Rowling?” Bebe looked at Linley suspiciously.
Doehring Cowart also appeared next to Linley. Seeing the invitation letter, a hint of a smile appeared on his face.
“Grandpa Doehring.” Linley turned to look at Doehring Cowart.
“Are you wondering who Rowling is?” Doehring Cowart really was someone who had only gotten craftier with age. He instantly understood. “It’s simple. Your sculpture, ‘Awakening From the Dream’, made many people familiar with Alice’s appearance. Although they don’t know who Alice is, once the engagement ceremony is publicized, many people will see Alice. By then, they will definitely recognize her as being the mold for your creation of ‘Awakening From the Dream’. The love story contained within your sculpture is clearly visible to anyone who has ever analyzed stone sculpting. And precisely for this reason, the Debs clan definitely is not willing to allow Alice to become Kalan’s principal wife. This Rowling is most likely going to be Kalan’s principal wife.”
Linley was stunned.
Alice… wasn’t going to be Kalan’s principal wife?
In the Yulan continent, the principal wife held a high status in the household, while the secondary wives held a much lower status.
“Because of me?” Instantly, Linley’s emotions grew complicated.
Because of his sculpture, Alice could no longer be Kalan’s principal wife.
“Linley, do you intend to go to this engagement ceremony?” Doehring Cowart asked.
“Yes. Of course.” Linley’s eyes hardened, and then he laughed. “Bernard has invited me several times now. This time, he specially sent over an invitation card. How could I refuse?”
Linley stared up at the blue sky, where wisps of silk-like clouds were floating about.
Long ago, he had sat on the grass alongside Alice and stared up at this sort of blue sky.
June 18th.
According to the priests of the Radiant Church, this was an extremely propitious day. Thus, the Debs clan chose to hold the engagement ceremony on this day.
This day, the front of the Debs clan’s manor was jam packed with carriages and people.
Major nobles, wealthy magnates, beautiful noblewomen, dazzling young noble ladies, handsome noble youths… today, it could be said that the Debs clan’s manor had more nobles present than any other place in Fenlai City.
“Lord Marquis Linley has arrived!”
The voice of the receiver for the Debs clan shot up two octaves as Linley, dressed in a black gentleman’s outfit, strode into the main hall of the Debs clan.
Virtually all of the nobles within the main hall stopped their conversations and turned to look at Linley.
Linley glanced around the room, a slight smile on his lips. Linley’s demeanor was totally in keeping with the magnificent presence of the upper nobility.
“Lord Linley, welcome!”
Bernard, who was previously chatting with some other guests, quickly walked towards Linley’s direction. Kalan, who was the leading role for this event, came by as well at Bernard’s side.
“Mr. Bernard.” Linley smiled. “Congratulations on your son’s engagement, to two beautiful women, no less.”
“Thank you, thank you,” Bernard said warmly.
Kalan also said respectfully, “Lord Linley, welcome to our home. I hope you will enjoy yourself today.”
Linley glanced at Kalan, but only nodded. Without speaking to him, Linley looked back at Bernard. “Lord Bernard, please feel free to take care of your other guests. I’ll just find a place to stand.”
The main hall of the Debs clan was extremely large. Hundreds of nobles and magnates were within it, but they didn’t feel the slightest bit crowded. The rich noblewomen and the rich young noble ladies were all attired beautifully, strutting through the crowd like proud peacocks.
Especially after Linley arrived. Many of the rich young noble ladies ‘unconsciously’ drew closer to him.
“Lord Linley, you are so amazing. I’ve trained in stone sculpting for three years now, but I’m not even able to sculpt a basic shape yet,” a young noble lady with a head of beautiful brown hair said warmly to Linley. “Lord Linley, you are really so incredible. You are only a bit older than us, but you’ve already approached the level of Proulx and Hope Jensen. Lord Linley, can you help teach me?”
This young noble lady looked hopefully at Linley with her big, beautiful eyes.
“Stone sculpting requires sufficient wrist strength. For such soft, beautiful ladies like yourself, it’s actually better if you just learned how to paint,” Linley said with a superficial smile.
As he spoke, Linley felt helpless.
Perhaps it was because all of these young noble ladies all knew that Linley was not yet married, but they all came to bother Linley, one after another.
And of course, the parents of these young noble ladies were more than happy to just sit and watch.
Because virtually all of the nobles within the Kingdom of Fenlai knew that if someone could become in-laws with Linley, their clan would rise in stature by leaps and bounds!
What sort of a figure was Linley?
He was already the Prime Court Magus, but virtually all of the nobles knew that he was only serving the Kingdom of Fenlai in name. In the future, he would definitely become an important figure within the Radiant Church. In the future, his position might be higher than that of even the ruler of Fenlai!
“Linley.” A bright voice rang out.
Linley turned around. “Your Majesty.”
The young noble ladies surrounding him all made their curtsies, no longer daring to entangle him. Only now did Linley secretly let out a breath as he headed towards Clayde. When he was alongside the king, at least those young noble ladies wouldn’t dare to bother him.
“Linley, see anyone you fancy?” Clayde whispered teasingly into Linley’s ears as Linley drew near.
Linley couldn’t help but cast a helpless glance at Clayde. “Your Majesty, there’s no need to tease me like this, is there?”
“Haha…” Clayde couldn’t help but break into a loud laugh.
Suddenly, the entire main hall fell silent. Clayde also turned his head to stare at the door to the main hall, his eyes shining. “Hey. There’s the leading females for tonight.”
Linley turned to look as well.
Kalan was holding a beautiful woman’s hand on each side. Both of these women were wearing beautiful full dresses, while the beautiful adornments in their golden hair shimmered brightly.
One was Rowling. The other was Alice.
“Alice.”
Linley’s gaze rested for a moment on Alice. Alice was more beautifully made up today than she had ever been before. But this time, the person holding her hand was Kalan.
“Oh, my goddess! Isn’t this the ‘goddess’ which Master Linley carved into ‘Awakening From the Dream’?” Suddenly, a noble let out a startled shout.
The main hall was instantly filled with clamorous discussion.
Aside from the few people who already knew what Alice looked like, the vast majority of the people present had no idea what Alice’s appearance was. But they had seen the sculpture, ‘Awakening From the Dream’. Many of the people had even designated the woman within the ‘Awakening From the Dream’ as the goddess of their dreams.
But at this moment, their ‘goddess of their dreams’ suddenly appeared before them at this engagement ceremony.
42
Captured
The main hall of the Debs clan was in an uproar.
“This… this…”
Many nobles were absolutely stunned upon seeing Alice. Linley’s extremely high level of sculpting abilities, unfortunately, was to blame for them to so easily b
e able to recognize Alice as the inspiration for ‘Awakening From the Dream’.
Linley had already surpassed the level of ‘skill’; through his sculpture, he totally was able to bring out this woman’s charm and mesmerizing qualities. All of these nobles, at the very first glance, were able to be absolutely certain that Alice was the ‘goddess’ of their dreams.
Many nobles looked at Alice, then turned to stare at Linley.
Silence!
All of a sudden, the entire main hall became deafeningly quiet, as though all of the nobles present suddenly understood something, while also understanding that now was not the time to discuss this.
But this silence… made Alice all the more embarrassed and frantic.
From the corner of her eyes, Alice glanced at Linley. Linley, who was standing right next to the king of Fenlai. Still as calm as ever. He was just quietly looking at her.
Towards Linley…
Alice’s emotions towards him were very complex. There was regret. There was hatred. Hatred for the fact that Linley’s sculpture had prevented her from being the principal wife, and also for making her feel so embarrassed now. But at the same time, that sculpture… had also let her truly understand how Linley had felt towards her.
Kalan felt extremely awkward as well.
“Everyone, let me make the introductions.” Bernard’s voice rang out, his face all smiles. “My son Kalan is now becoming formally engaged with Miss Rowling and Miss Alice.”
As he spoke, Bernard walked over to Kalan’s side. Pointing at Rowling, he said, “This is Miss Rowling, the principal wife of my son Kalan. And this is Miss Alice.”
Instantly, the main hall became filled with quiet murmurs. Every so often, someone would sneak a furtive look at Linley.
“Everyone, let’s begin the banquet!” Bernard laughed merrily.
All of the nobles in the main hall entered the banquet area. During the banquet, the members of the Debs clan were extremely friendly and warm to everybody. But nonetheless, there were still many nobles who would continue to glance at Alice, then glance at Linley.
Holding a glass of wine, Linley walked over to a secluded corner of the main hall, casually seating himself in a sofa.
“Boss, I can hear so many people chatting about you.” Bebe leapt onto Linley’s legs.
Linley gently sipped the wine in his glass. “Let them talk if they wish to. I’m fine with it. Only… Alice most likely is suffering.”
Nowadays, towards Alice, Linley’s emotions were calm and peaceful.
Only now did he understand what a huge influence this sculpture, ‘Awakening From the Dream’, had upon Alice’s life.
Seated in that corner, Linley quietly watched as Kalan, Alice, and Rowling moved from table to table, meeting with guests. He quietly drank his wine by himself.
“Lord Linley, why are you here drinking wine all by your lonesome?” A beautiful young lady with jade hair and snow white skin walked over, sitting down quite naturally next to Linley while extending her glass of wine towards him.
Linley clinked glasses with her.
“My name is Sasha. Before the banquet began, I had been hoping I would have a chance to chat with you, Lord Linley. But it seemed as though you attracted quite a lot of attention from the girls. I didn’t have a chance at all.” Sasha laughed.
Linley looked at Sasha.
Sasha was very tall and slender, and her laughter was rich and vibrant. Her eyes also held a bewitching, intoxicating gaze. Compared to those young noble ladies, a female like this had a more feminine charm.
“The girls? Can it be that yourself aren’t a girl, Sasha?” Linley asked with engrossed ‘curiosity’.
Sasha took a light sip of wine, then laughed. “A girl? I’ve been married for eight years now. How could I be a girl?”
Linley couldn’t help but be startled.
“However… my husband died on the day of our wedding.” Sasha glanced at Linley as she spoke in a soft voice.
“Uh…” Linley stared at Sasha in astonishment.
Seeing the look on Linley’s face, Sasha couldn’t help but begin to laugh a charming laugh, and then she raised her glass and had another sip of red wine. Smiling, she said to Linley, “Lord Linley. You really… are too cute.”
Linley couldn’t help but laugh as well.
This Sasha really was an interesting person.
“Sasha. What are you doing here?” Duke Patterson walked over with a laugh.
Sasha glanced back at Duke Patterson. Feigning anger, she said, “Lord Duke, I just started chatting with Lord Linley. Fine, fine. Go ahead and have your talk with him.” As she spoke, she winked at Linley, then left.
Duke Patterson stared at Sasha’s departing silhouette for a moment before sitting down next to Linley.
“Linley, what do you think?” Duke Patterson said to Linley.
“What do I think about what?”
“Sasha, of course.” Duke Patterson looked at Linley suggestively. “Linley, amongst the circle of nobles, Sasha is a beautiful lady who is chased after by many. Look at Sasha’s figure, her eyes, her little mouth. Oh…”
Linley could only laugh.
“Let me tell you, Sasha should be very interested in you. If you seize this opportunity, you should be able to get her into your hands.” Patterson patted Linley on the shoulders.
Linley glanced at Patterson. “Not interested.”
Patterson stared at Linley in surprise.
“Linley.” Patterson lowered his voice as he spoke to Linley. “Tonight, after this banquet is over, don’t leave in a rush. There’s something I wish to discuss with you.”
Linley was startled.
As secretive as that?
“You wouldn’t not give me face, right?” Patterson feigned anger.
Linley glanced at Patterson, musing to himself, “I want to see what you are up to.” Linley rather wanted the chance to get a bit… closer… to Patterson as well.
“Lord Duke, don’t worry. Tonight, I will wait a while for you.” Linley smiled as he replied.
Eight o’clock that night. Many of the nobles had already left, but Linley was in no hurry. He still remembered his appointment with Patterson.
“I want to see what you are up to.”
Linley waited quietly in the main hall.
“Linley, I’ll leave now,” Clayde said to Linley as he left. The people in the main hall grew fewer and fewer. Getting rather impatient, Linley left the main hall, stepping onto the outside balcony to enjoy the cool night wind.
Right at this moment, a manservant quietly walked up to him.
“Lord Linley. The Lord Duke is inviting you for a walk,” the manservant said quietly.
“As secretive as this?” Linley was a bit surprised.
“Lead the way.” On the surface, Linley looked calm. Bebe remained curled up inside Linley’s robes. The manservant led Linley to a very dark, secluded alley. Judging from the appearance of the road, this was a place where people rarely came.
“Where are we going?” Linley said in a low voice.
The manservant said respectfully, “Lord Linley, this is in accordance with the Lord Duke’s instructions. No one is to see you, Lord Linley.”
“Oh?”
Linley furrowed his brows. But Linley wasn’t afraid. He continued to follow the servant forward, as the two of them made their way through the dark, secluded alley, then passed through a small copse of trees. A secret door was opened, and they arrived at a small building.
“So the Debs clan has a place as secretive as this,” Linley said to himself.
Unless someone was capable of flight, it would be quite difficult indeed to spot this hidden little building.
The manservant led Linley directly into the main hall.
“Lord Duke, Lord Linley is here,” the manservant called out respectfully as they reached the main hall’s doorway.
“Haha, Linley is here?” Dressed in a long black robe, Duke Patterson stepped out of the main h
all. Seeing Linley, a gleam of excitement appeared in Duke Patterson’s hawk-like eyes, and he hurriedly walked over. “Linley, come in, quick.”
The manservant respectfully said, “Lord Duke, I’ll be leaving then.”
“Yes, you can go,” Patterson said casually.
The manservant respectfully bowed and turned to leave. But then, the smiling Duke Patterson suddenly shot out his right arm at high speed, viciously piercing through the manservant like a knife, from his back to his chest.
“Ah!” The manservant disbelievingly turned his head and stared at Duke Patterson. He totally couldn’t understand why the powerful Duke Patterson would stoop to killing someone like him!
Unfortunately, with his heart totally shattered, in just a few seconds, the light fled from his eyes.
“Lord Duke, the meaning of this is…?” Linley, off to the side, still managed to maintain his calm.
Duke Patterson was a warrior of the seventh rank. For him to kill a manservant who was at most a warrior of the first or second rank was indeed very easy.
From within his clothes, Duke Patterson drew out a handkerchief, using it to wipe off the blood from his hand. And then, he casually tossed it on the ground.
“Linley. It’s nothing. I just didn’t want anyone to know that you and I met.” Duke Patterson chortled.
Linley looked suspiciously at Duke Patterson. “You don’t want anyone to know?”
Duke Patterson nodded confidently. “Don’t worry at all. This secret meeting place was arranged by Bernard per my instructions. Bernard only knows that I’ll use this place, but he doesn’t know who I meet with. The only servant who knows that we have met is dead now. Thus, no one will know that we have met.”
Linley made up his mind. He stepped into the main hall.
“Duke Patterson. This matter seems to be quite important.” Linley smiled at Duke Patterson.
Patterson nodded. “Of course. And, I have arranged for a decoy as well. In the eyes of others, I have returned to my estate long ago. Aside from Bernard and my housekeeper, I’m afraid you are the only one who knows I am here.”
“A decoy?”
“Duke Patterson, what exactly do you intend to do, for you to meet with me here so secretively?” Linley asked with some curiosity.
Dragonblood: Book 2 of the Coiling Dragon Saga Page 33